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Welcome to RotoBaller's Tiered Rankings for the sixth race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. For those that are viewing these rankings for the first time, here is how the sheet works.
There are two sets of DFS tiered rankings featured below, with one set of rankings focused on DraftKings DFS contests while the other is focused on FanDuel. Every driver that will officially be starting in this week's race will be listed in a particular tier based on their salary for each site. The tiers feature drivers that have similar price ranges and are ranked based on their final outlook, which is determined by a combination of a driver's expected performance for this week's race as well as their salary.
These ranks will help you make tough lineup calls, telling you which drivers must be started over others in each tier. DFS players from any skill level can use these rankings in order to create a lineup that will cash out.
For DFS lineups at Atlanta, fantasy players must focus on picking the expected dominators or racers that will most likely lead portions of the race. In each of the last five Atlanta races, there was at least one driver to lead over 100 laps while two of the last three Cup events at the site were won by the driver that led the most laps. Since there are two races already completed this season at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks, this week's ranks are based on events at the track type as well as history and loop data at Atlanta. Good luck RotoBallers!
Premium Tiered Rankings - NASCAR DFS
Normally, you can expect these rankings to be published on Thursdays or Fridays for every week that there is a Cup Series race, depending on the schedule of pre-race events. These rankings will also be updated as pre-race events progress throughout the week when applicable and also will include an analysis of each tier of drivers at the conclusion of all pre-race events.
* = This driver will be starting from the rear in this week's race
DraftKings Rankings Analysis
DraftKings Tier 1: Several of the top favorites to win this week’s race at Atlanta are in this tier including Kyle Busch. In 22 starts at the site, Busch has two wins and nine top-10 finishes including each of the last three races. Since 2018 at Atlanta, Busch ranks third in Average Running Position (6.4), and fourth in Laps in the Top 15 (927), Fastest Laps (72), and Driver Rating (107.4). The driver of the No. 18 Toyota has the most Place Differential upside from his start position (19th) in this tier and should be expected to score a top-5 finish with a chance at the win. Kyle Larson is the most recent winner on a 1.5-Mile Intermediate track this season and led the most laps in his last Atlanta start. In his career at the Georgia track, Larson has three top-10 finishes including two in his last three appearances. Since 2018 at AMS, Larson ranks fourth in Average Running Position (6.9), fifth in Fastest Laps (60), and sixth in Driver Rating (105.1). Look for Larson to compete for the win based on his performance and equipment this season with Hendrick Motorsports this week. Kevin Harvick currently is tied for the most wins of active drivers at Atlanta (three) and is one of his best tracks in recent years. Since 2018 at the site, Harvick ranks first in most loop data categories including Laps in the Top 15 (965), Fastest Laps (155), Laps Led (377), Average Running Position (3.4), and Driver Rating (135.1). Despite the strong history, Harvick is ranked third in this tier as his performances at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks in 2021 are not as strong as expected as in past years. Brad Keselowski is the last driver to greatly consider from this tier as a racer to build lineups around. In 12 starts at Atlanta, Keselowski has two wins and eight top-10 finishes, which include the last six races at the track. Since 2018 at AMS, the driver of the No. 2 Ford is third in Fastest Laps (74), and Driver Rating (110.3).
DraftKings Tier 2: Last week’s Phoenix winner Martin Truex Jr. leads off this tier for Atlanta. Truex has never won at Atlanta but placed in the Top 10 in each of the last six Cup events at the site. Since 2018 at AMS, the driver of the No. 19 Toyota ranks second in Laps in the Top 15 (963), Fastest Laps (102), Average Running Position (4.6), and Driver Rating (120.2). Truex will start second this week and historically is strong at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks. It will not be a surprise to see Truex lead laps and compete for the win at Atlanta. Ryan Blaney is the next driver fantasy players should think about choosing from this tier. Blaney scored his career-best finish of fourth at Atlanta in his last start while he led 43 combined laps in his last two races at the site. The driver of the No.12 Ford will start 10th and based on his equipment and history at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks, look for him to compete for a top-5 finish. Atlanta is the hometown track of Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott. In five starts at the Georgia site, Elliott has four top-10 finishes and procured positive PD four times. The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet also led 26 laps in his last AMS race while also leading multiple laps in both races at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks this season. Atlanta is one of Elliott’s better tracks in the Cup Series historically and will start fifth this week. Watch for the hometown favorite to finish around his starting position this week.
DraftKings Tier 3: The first three drivers from this tier, Tyler Reddick, Austin Cindric, and Kurt Busch, all are great picks for this week’s race at Atlanta. Reddick finished 16th after starting 24th in his only Cup start at AMS last year. In his last three starts at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks, the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet has two top-15 finishes including a runner-up finish at Homestead earlier in 2021. Reddick provides great upside from his starting position (29th) and will compete for a top-15 finish based on equipment. Cindric is making his first Cup start at a 1.5-Mile Intermediate track at Atlanta this week. In the Xfinity Series at the Georgia track, Cindric has two top-10 finishes and led 68 laps in 2020. Cindric will start last (39th) this week, providing amazing upside and no risk of PD downside from his starting position. Busch is one of the more consistent drivers in the field at Atlanta. In 29 career starts at the site, Busch has three wins and 15 top-10 finishes including the last five Cup races. Since 2018, the driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet ranks fifth of active racers in Laps in the Top 15 (912) and Driver Rating (105.6). Although Busch has the least PD upside from his starting position in this tier (11th), Busch is expected to finish the highest of these drivers based on history at Atlanta and his equipment with Chip Ganassi Racing.
DraftKings Tier 4: A couple of drivers from this tier are strong DFS picks for this week’s race at Atlanta. Ryan Newman earned positive PD while placing in the Top 15 in his last two starts at the Georgia track. Newman also placed in the Top 20 in both previous races at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks this season including a finish of seventh at Homestead. The driver of the No. 6 Ford has the best PD upside of all drivers in this tier based on starting position (28th) and should compete for a top-15 finish. Cole Custer finished 19th after starting 31st in his only start in the Cup Series at Atlanta. In five of his last seven starts at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks, Custer also finished 16th or better. The driver of the No. 41 Ford will start 27th and provides exceptional PD upside for Atlanta this week. Custer’s teammate Chase Briscoe will make his first start at AMS this week in the Cup Series. In three Xfinity starts at the track, Briscoe’s best finish is ninth in 2020 where he also led 40 laps. The driver of the No. 14 Ford gained positive PD in both races at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks this season and has good upside from his start position this weekend at Atlanta (24th). Erik Jones is another solid choice for Atlanta based on his history at the track. In four starts at AMS, Jones has three top-15 finishes and obtained positive PD twice. The driver of the No. 43 Chevrolet also finished 10th in his last race at a 1.5-Mile Intermediate track at Las Vegas earlier this season. Ross Chastain is the last driver from this tier to consider for lineups this week at Atlanta. Chastain picked up positive PD in his only two Cup Series starts at the site and he scored a top-20 finish with positive PD at Homestead earlier this year.
DraftKings Tier 5: Daniel Suarez is the top driver to recommend for lineups in this tier for Atlanta. In four starts at the site, Suarez has two top-15 finishes while he scored positive PD twice. This season, the driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet has led 13 combined laps on 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks while scoring a finish of 15th at Homestead in February. Ryan Preece is the other top bargain value to recommend for this week’s race at Atlanta. Preece has four top-20 finishes in his last six 1.5-Intermediate track starts including a finish of 15th at Las Vegas two weeks ago. The driver of the No. 37 Chevrolet is also experiencing his best season so far with three top-15 finishes in five races.
DraftKings Tier 6: DFS players must avoid rostering drivers this week from this tier as much as possible. Almost all racers here have inferior equipment compared to the rest of the field and will finish multiple laps down or not finish due to a technical issue. If you need to pick a driver here because of the cap flexibility, Corey LaJoie is the best choice as he has the best equipment and history at Atlanta.
FanDuel Rankings Analysis
FanDuel Tier 1: Exactly like DraftKings, most of the top favorites to win this week’s race at Atlanta are in this tier including Kyle Larson. Larson is the most recent winner on a 1.5-Mile Intermediate track this season and led the most laps in his last Atlanta start. In his career at the Georgia track, Larson has three top-10 finishes including two in his last three appearances. Since 2018 at AMS, Larson ranks fourth in Average Running Position (6.9), fifth in Fastest Laps (60), and sixth in Driver Rating (105.1). Look for Larson to compete for the win based on his performance and equipment this season with Hendrick Motorsports this week. Kevin Harvick currently is tied for the most wins of active drivers at Atlanta (three) and is one of his best tracks in recent years. Since 2018 at the site, Harvick ranks first in most loop data categories including Laps in the Top 15 (965), Fastest Laps (155), Laps Led (377), Average Running Position (3.4), and Driver Rating (135.1). Despite the strong history, Harvick is ranked second in this tier as his performances at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks in 2021 are not as strong as expected as in past years. Martin Truex Jr. has never won at Atlanta but placed in the Top 10 in each of the last six Cup events at the site. Since 2018 at AMS, the driver of the No. 19 Toyota ranks second in Laps in the Top 15 (963), Fastest Laps (102), Average Running Position (4.6), and Driver Rating (120.2). Truex will start second this week and historically is strong at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks. It will not be a surprise to see Truex lead laps and compete for the win at Atlanta. Atlanta is the hometown track of Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott. In five starts at the Georgia site, Elliott has four top-10 finishes and procured positive PD four times. The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet also led 26 laps in his last AMS race while also leading multiple laps in both races at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks this season. Atlanta is one of Elliott’s better tracks in the Cup Series historically and will start fifth this week. Watch for the hometown favorite to finish around his starting position this week. Brad Keselowski is ranked last here but is still a choice to consider this week. In 12 starts at Atlanta, Keselowski has two wins and eight top-10 finishes, which include the last six races at the track. Since 2018 at AMS, the driver of the No. 2 Ford is third in Fastest Laps (74), and Driver Rating (110.3).
FanDuel Tier 2: One of the core drivers to anchor lineups around this week is Kyle Busch. In 22 starts at the site, Busch has two wins and nine top-10 finishes including each of the last three races. Since 2018 at Atlanta, Busch ranks third in Average Running Position (6.4), and fourth in Laps in the Top 15 (927), Fastest Laps (72), and Driver Rating (107.4). The driver of the No. 18 Toyota has the most Place Differential upside from his start position (19th) in this tier and should be expected to score a top-5 finish with a chance at the win. Ryan Blaney is the next driver fantasy players should think about choosing from this tier. Blaney scored his career-best finish of fourth at Atlanta in his last start while he led 43 combined laps in his last two races at the site. The driver of the No.12 Ford will start 10th and based on his equipment and history at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks, look for him to compete for a top-5 finish. William Byron is the only other driver to have won at a 1.5-Mile Intermediate track in 2021 other than Kyle Larson. Byron is also one of four drivers currently to have placed in the Top 10 in both previous races at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks this season. The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet never finished better than 17th at Atlanta in the Cup Series, but he will challenge for a top-10 based on equipment and recent results at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks.
FanDuel Tier 3: Most drivers in this tier are risky based on the amount of PD upside from start positions, but Kurt Busch is the driver to recommend here. Busch is one of the more consistent drivers in the field at Atlanta. In 29 career starts at the site, Busch has three wins and 15 top-10 finishes including the last five Cup races. Since 2018, the driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet ranks fifth of active racers in Laps in the Top 15 (912) and Driver Rating (105.6). Although Busch has the least PD upside from his starting position in this tier (11th), Busch is expected to finish the highest of these drivers based on history at Atlanta and his equipment with Chip Ganassi Racing. Aric Almirola starts 16th this weekend and presents a small amount of PD upside, however, he displayed mixed history in his career at Atlanta. Since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018, Almirola has one top-10 finish and failed to gain positive PD in all races. Almirola’s SHR equipment is capable of placing in the Top 15, but the mixed history makes him a contrarian play at best.
FanDuel Tier 4: Similarly to DraftKings, A couple of drivers from this tier are strong DFS picks for this weekend’s race at Atlanta. Austin Cindric is making his first Cup start at a 1.5-Mile Intermediate track at Atlanta this week. In the Xfinity Series at the Georgia track, Cindric has two top-10 finishes and led 68 laps in 2020. Cindric will start last (39th) this week, providing amazing upside and no risk of PD downside from his starting position. Cindric’s upside for the price is too great to ignore here and is a must-play for FanDuel. Tyler Reddick finished 16th after starting 24th in his only Cup start at AMS last year. In his last three starts at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks, the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet has two top-15 finishes including a runner-up finish at Homestead earlier in 2021. Reddick provides great upside from his starting position (29th) and will compete for a top-15 finish based on equipment. Ryan Newman earned positive PD while placing in the Top 15 in his last two starts at the Georgia track. Newman also placed in the Top 20 in both previous races at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks this season including a finish of seventh at Homestead. The driver of the No. 6 Ford has quality PD upside based on starting position (28th) and should compete for a top-15 finish. Cole Custer finished 19th after starting 31st in his only start in the Cup Series at Atlanta. In five of his last seven starts at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks, Custer also finished 16th or better. The driver of the No. 41 Ford will start 27th and provides exceptional PD upside for Atlanta this week. Custer’s teammate Erik Jones is another solid choice for Atlanta based on his history at the track. In four starts at AMS, Jones has three top-15 finishes and obtained positive PD twice. The driver of the No. 43 Chevrolet also finished 10th in his last race at a 1.5-Mile Intermediate track at Las Vegas earlier this season.
FanDuel Tier 5: Chase Briscoe will make his first start at AMS this week in the Cup Series. In three Xfinity starts at the track, Briscoe’s best finish is ninth in 2020 where he also led 40 laps. The driver of the No. 14 Ford gained positive PD in both races at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks this season and has good upside from his start position this weekend at Atlanta (24th). Ross Chastain is the next driver from this tier to consider for lineups this week at Atlanta. Chastain picked up positive PD in his only two Cup Series starts at the site and he scored a top-20 finish with positive PD at Homestead earlier this year. Daniel Suarez is one more driver to recommend for lineups for Atlanta. In four starts at the site, Suarez has two top-15 finishes while he scored positive PD twice. This season, the driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet has led 13 combined laps on 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks while scoring a finish of 15th at Homestead in February.
FanDuel Tier 6: DFS players must avoid rostering drivers this week from this tier as much as possible. Most racers here have inferior equipment compared to the rest of the field and will finish multiple laps down or not finish due to a technical issue. The most notable exception here however is Ryan Preece. Preece has four top-20 finishes in his last six 1.5-Intermediate track starts including a finish of 15th at Las Vegas two weeks ago. The driver of the No. 37 Chevrolet is also experiencing his best season so far with three top-15 finishes in five races. If you need to pick a different driver here because of the cap flexibility, Anthony Alfredo, Corey LaJoie, and Justin Haley are other options to consider.
